I started my newsletter in December 2023. Since then, I have gained 450+ subscribers.
The concept is quite simple. Twice a week, I share 2 valuable resources to help you grow a one-person business. You can read it in less than 60 seconds, and my readers decide whether to click or not.
And it seems to be working. The opening ratio is 43% with a CTOR of 16%.
Then, last month I launched a second newsletter. A similar concept, but once a week with more content.
Why did I do it?
I wanted to try out Substack. I see that many creators are moving their newsletters there. It’s a classic FOMO. I didn’t want to be there too late.
I also needed some changes. To share more resources without the limit I set for myself in my first newsletter. And to make a closer connection with my audience.
So, every Monday I share:
4–5 best resources from successful creators,
1 quick idea,
1 recommended tool,
1 resource from my sponsors.
Here’s the plan I drew up the other day:
My third newsletter idea
In December, I took a break. To rethink my side hustle. To make plans for 2025. And one of my goals is to launch another newsletter.
This time it will be related to my passion — technology.
I love the Apple ecosystem, new technologies and gadgets. And also AI and how we can use it to simplify our lives (or businesses).
But there is a problem.
My 9–5, family and offline life. My time for side activities is limited. Usually it is about 1–2 hours a day. Not more.
That’s why I know it will be too much. Even though running my first newsletter is very easy, I can already see that I sometimes have difficulties to run two newsletters.
So I’m thinking about merging my 2 newsletters into one weekly one on Substack. However, I am afraid to give up fully on MailerLite. Both platforms have their pros and cons.
Over the past few days, I started comparing the two platforms. Here’s what I’ve found so far:
Substack
Connection with my audience: I like that my readers can comment, like or share my content.
Cross promotions: The community of writers is amazing. People help each other and recommend the other’s work.
Simplicity: Writing a newsletter looks similar to writing on Medium. But the content can be turned into a newsletter issue.
Easy layout: The editor on MailerLite is very annoying and sometimes it takes much longer to prepare everything.
It’s free.
MailerLite
Advanced automations: This can be very useful if you want to send dedicated, special emails to your recipients.
Cleanup feature: This feature is amazing. It can automatically remove subscribers who have not opened, clicked or engaged with the content.
Customizable layout: Typical email platforms, such as ML or Beehiiv, offer a wide range of choices for customizing email layouts. Substack doesn’t. And this is annoying. I like a clean, simple layout without too many elements or icons.
Customized landing page: I currently use Carrd for my subscriber page. I like it a lot and would like to keep it on Substack as well.
These are all the points I have so far. Perhaps I don’t know Substack well enough (yet) and haven’t discovered other amazing features.
Would I lose my subscribers?
There are 2 more things I’m worried about if I combine with one weekly newsletter.
I don’t want to lose my subscribers. I promise them reading in 1 minute. There is 2 times more content in my weekly newsletter.
I like the faster feedback when I send it twice a week. I don’t have to wait a whole week to see what my audience likes and not.
Summary
Keeping a newsletter is a great way to grow as a digital artist. I want to do more of it. But with limited time, I have to think twice before going further.
If I switch to one newsletter sent only on Mondays, I will gain some time for other activities I want to try this year.
Thanks for reading!
-Robin
About the author
👋 Hi, I’m Robin — digital creator, husband and father. I run a side hustle alongside my full-time job. My goal is to make $2,000+/month with writing & digital assets, sharing everything I learn.
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